Today we’d like to introduce you to Noelle Scharer.
Hi Noelle, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up in a family of business owners, entrepreneurship was always a big part of my life. At a young age, I learned basic business skills from my parents and grandparents. I grew a love for it and the freedom it could bring into my life. Learning to build something from the ground up and going through all the ups and downs brings a feeling of accomplishment that cannot be bought.
I started helping my mom at her Asian grocery store at around 9 years old, and by 16, I started my first boba drink business inside her store. I learned research and development, practiced different marketing techniques, customer service, and more. It was my first taste of building something that was mine.
My mom was my biggest inspiration. She always supported any business idea I had and would do anything she could to help me start. She and my father, who was in the Navy, moved to California from the Philippines, and as first generation immigrants, it is incredibly difficult to start a business in a new country. Watching her do everything she did to help provide for our family while raising three little girls inspired me to hopefully one day raise my future children the same way.
Fast forward, I went to college and earned a BS in Biology. I had intended to go to medical school, but after interning at a hospital, I realized it would not be a good fit for me. While in college, I also took classes for a business minor along with photography classes for fun. This is when I discovered my interest in marketing and photography.
After college, I worked as a microbiologist for a pharmaceutical company for a few years and quickly learned that it also was not for me. I thrive in high paced environments so I went part-time and went on to earn a Masters in Business with an emphasis in marketing. Shortly after graduation, a realtor friend of my mom mentioned a restaurant for sale. We took the opportunity and opened a Filipino restaurant, which has been in operation since 2018.
In 2022, James and I got married, and that is when I made my full time move to Florida. James had previously moved from California to Orlando for work, so we were long distance for a couple of years.
When I moved to Florida, I initially planned to open a cafe. However, knowing that we wanted to have a baby in the near future, we decided it would not be the best time. We both wanted the opportunity to raise our baby at home and not have to put him in daycare. I had always loved photography. Even before smartphones, I was that girl who always had a camera with her everywhere she went. My first thought was to start a portrait photography business. I knew it would allow flexibility in my schedule and give me the ability to slowly build a business in something that I loved as I navigated motherhood. I started taking courses and practicing on friends and family.
One day, while scrolling on Instagram, I discovered real estate photography, a niche I never knew existed. I knew in my gut that this was something I would love to do. Like the saying goes, do what you love and you will never work a day in your life. I felt that this would be a dream come true if I could make it work. So I shifted gears. With the support of my husband, parents, and family, Wink Visual Media was born. Initially, I started Wink Visual Media as a small side business that I could slowly grow as our son got older. My son was exclusively BF and still is, so he would come with me on every shoot and would hang out in the car or at a nearby park with either James or my mother in law. I love that I can take him with me and have little lunch or park adventures between shoots. My mother in law has also been a huge help, and we would not have been able to offer as many available shoot days without her.
As the business grew, James decided to join in and help grow the business further while also working full time for the government. He has been vital to our growth and has helped build the video side of our business. This year, we hope to grow our team so we can provide more availability to our clients and continue providing quality services to both current and new clients.
Our son is our why, and we hope to build this business so we can not only have more time with him, but also create something he can grow with and learn from. We are incredibly grateful to all our clients who have given us a chance, referred us to friends and family, and helped us grow along the way.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a new business definitely has its challenges. When you start anything new or step into unfamiliar territory, there will always be obstacles to overcome. I definitely had imposter syndrome when I first started, and even to this day, I still get that feeling sometimes.
I remember my first shoot clear as day. I was so nervous, anxious, and sweating. The shoot also took a lot longer than it should have because I was overshooting to make sure I did not miss anything. I was nervous before every shoot for a couple of months, not because I did not know what I was doing, but because I really wanted to make sure I did a good job and made my clients happy. It was something I really had to work on, but as I did more shoots, my confidence grew, which helped me overcome those feelings of imposter syndrome.
Another big challenge for me was studying for and taking the remote pilot test so I could fly the drone commercially. Learning how to read sectional charts was a big challenge for me. It also took me a while to feel comfortable flying the drone at higher altitudes. I was just so scared I would hit a bird!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are Wink Visual Media and we are a real estate media company. We specialize in Airbnb/Short term rental and real estate photography. We offer a variety of media services to help market real estate listings. These include aerial photography, 2D floorplans, 3D floorplans, 3D Zillow tours and Matterport, video, twilight photos, virtual staging, marketing kits, and property websites. We are a family run business that values relationships and quality services. We try our very best to help our clients with any of their marketing needs.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I believe risk taking is necessary for growth, but it should be approached thoughtfully and with intention. There are many different types of risk, some impulsive and some calculated. I am not afraid of taking risks, but I do prefer taking calculated risks where I prepare, learn, and do everything I can to set myself up for success before fully committing. I also like to think about the worst possible outcome, and if it is something I am comfortable with, then the risk is worth taking.
I have taken many risks in my life. Every time I switched my career path, I was taking a risk. There were a lot of unknowns and no guarantee that it would go exactly as planned, but I knew I had to at least try. A lot of people thought I was crazy for switching paths or that I was wasting my degree, but I knew I had to follow my instinct, even if it meant taking a risk
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.winkvisualmedia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winkvisualmedia/
